God’s Covenant with Noah
Summary
TLDRIn this sermon, Pastor Mark Plunkett of Heritage Presbyterian Church reflects on God's covenant with Noah, based on passages from Genesis, while also weaving in a personal Father's Day story. He emphasizes Noah's faith and obedience in building the ark without fully understanding its purpose, highlighting the importance of trust in God's plans. Plunkett draws parallels to modern covenants, underscoring that love should be at the heart of every agreement, whether with God or with others, and reflects on how his father showed love and fairness through a personal agreement.
Takeaways
- 🙏 The service begins with a prayer, asking for God's guidance and acceptance of worship.
- 📖 The sermon focuses on three readings from the Book of Genesis, specifically related to Noah and the flood.
- 🌍 God was grieved by the wickedness of humankind and decided to destroy life on Earth, but Noah found favor with God due to his righteousness.
- 🛠️ Noah demonstrated faith and obedience by building the ark without fully understanding its purpose, following God's commands.
- 🌧️ The flood lasted 40 days and 40 nights, and Noah, his family, and pairs of animals were saved in the ark.
- 🌈 After the flood, God made a covenant with Noah, promising never to destroy the Earth again and using the rainbow as a symbol of this covenant.
- 🤝 God's covenant with Noah was unilateral, unconditional, everlasting, and universal—affecting all living beings.
- 💡 The sermon highlights that true covenants, including those between people, should be based on love, just as God's covenant with Noah was grounded in love.
- 👨👦 The pastor shares a personal story about his father to emphasize the importance of love in relationships and agreements, even when discipline or correction is involved.
- 💖 The takeaway message is that all covenants and agreements we make in life should be made with love at their core, following God's example.
Q & A
What is the main theme of the sermon delivered by Pastor Mark Plunkett?
-The main theme of the sermon is God's covenant with Noah, focusing on the idea of covenants, how they reflect faithfulness, and the presence of love in agreements, especially drawing parallels to Father's Day.
What is a covenant, according to the sermon?
-A covenant is described as a deal or agreement between two parties, but when made by God, it takes on a deeper spiritual significance. God's covenants are always unilateral, unconditional, everlasting, and universal.
How does the sermon connect the story of Noah to Father's Day?
-Pastor Plunkett connects Noah's covenant with God to Father's Day by sharing a personal story about his own father. This story emphasizes the role of love in agreements, comparing his father's discipline with God's love for Noah.
What scriptures are referenced in the sermon, and what do they focus on?
-The sermon references Genesis 6:5-8, Genesis 7:1-10, and Genesis 8:13-22. These passages focus on the wickedness of humankind, God's decision to flood the Earth, Noah's faith and obedience, and the eventual covenant between God and Noah after the flood.
What does Pastor Plunkett emphasize about Noah’s faith during the flood narrative?
-Pastor Plunkett emphasizes that Noah's faith is remarkable because he built the ark without knowing God's full plan. His obedience and faithfulness were evident throughout the entire flood narrative, even when the outcome was uncertain.
What are the five key points about God's covenant with Noah mentioned in the sermon?
-1. The covenant is unilateral (God proposes and keeps it without human input). 2. The covenant is unconditional (humans don't need to do anything). 3. The covenant will never be broken. 4. The covenant is universal (it affects all living beings). 5. The covenant is everlasting (there is no expiration date).
Why does Pastor Plunkett say that love is central to covenants?
-Pastor Plunkett emphasizes that love is at the heart of God's covenant with Noah, just as it should be at the heart of all agreements we make. He reflects on how love was missing from many commentaries and analyses but believes it is essential to understanding the true nature of covenants.
How does the story of Pastor Plunkett’s father relate to the concept of covenants?
-The story illustrates how his father created a fair, loving covenant with him over a George Carlin comedy album. This example is used to show how covenants should be made with fairness and love, much like how God made covenants with Noah and humanity.
What is the significance of the rainbow in the covenant with Noah?
-The rainbow is the sign of God's covenant with Noah, symbolizing God's promise never to destroy the Earth again by flood. It serves as a reminder of God's mercy and the everlasting nature of this covenant.
What lesson does Pastor Plunkett want listeners to take away from the story of Noah’s covenant with God?
-Pastor Plunkett encourages listeners to model their agreements and covenants after God's, which are fair, unconditional, and grounded in love. He highlights the importance of incorporating love into all the covenants we make, just as God did with Noah.
Outlines
🙏 Opening Prayer and Scripture Readings
The pastor opens the sermon with a prayer, asking for God's guidance and acceptance of the worship. He then introduces three readings from the book of Genesis, focusing on the story of Noah. The first reading (Genesis 6:5-8) discusses God's sorrow over human wickedness and his decision to destroy creation, except for Noah, who found favor in God's sight. The second reading (Genesis 7:1-10) describes God's instructions to Noah to gather his family and animals onto the ark before the flood. The final reading (Genesis 8:13-22) tells of the earth drying up after the flood, Noah’s obedience to God's commands, and God’s promise, symbolized by a rainbow, never to destroy the earth again.
👨👦 A Personal Story of a Covenant with My Father
The pastor shares a personal story about his father and a covenant made when he was 17 years old. He bought a George Carlin comedy album that had inappropriate content. After his mother was upset, the pastor had to face his father. Instead of yelling, his father listened to the album with him, laughed heartily, and then established a 'covenant': the pastor could keep the album but was only allowed to listen to it when he was alone in the house. The pastor reflects on how this agreement mirrored the biblical idea of covenants: two sides reaching an agreement.
🛡 Understanding Covenants: God and Noah
The pastor transitions into discussing biblical covenants, emphasizing that all covenants in the Bible are proposed by God and accepted by humans. He highlights the story of Noah, noting that God made a covenant with him after the flood, not before. This covenant was unique as it came from God's grief over the world’s wickedness and Noah's righteousness and obedience. The pastor underscores the remarkable faith Noah demonstrated by building the ark without knowing its ultimate purpose, simply trusting in God's command.
🌈 The Covenant After the Flood
The pastor explains how, after the flood, Noah built an altar and worshipped God, leading to God’s covenant promise never to destroy the earth again. This covenant was unilateral (decided by God alone), unconditional (requiring nothing from humans), unbreakable, universal (affecting all of humanity), and everlasting. The pastor points out the significance of God's decision to act out of love, a model for how humans should make agreements with one another, ensuring fairness and love at the center of every deal.
❤️ The Missing Element: Love in Our Covenants
The pastor reflects on how love should be at the core of every covenant. He acknowledges that although his father loved him during the covenant about the album, love was not mentioned in his earlier explanation of God's covenant with Noah. He emphasizes that love was indeed present, as God loved Noah, and Noah loved God. The pastor challenges the congregation to consider whether love is at the heart of their own agreements and covenants, arguing that if love is absent, the true lesson of God’s covenant with Noah is missed.
✝️ Closing Remarks and Invitation
In closing, the pastor wishes all the fathers in the congregation a Happy Father's Day. He invites those curious about the church or seeking a deeper understanding of his messages to reach out through the church’s website. He also encourages anyone seeking a church home to consider Heritage Presbyterian Church. The message ends with a blessing of peace and love, encouraging everyone to serve the Lord.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡Covenant
💡Noah
💡Flood
💡Righteousness
💡Obedience
💡Love
💡Ark
💡Faith
💡Rainbow
💡Judgment
Highlights
Mark Plunkett introduces the scripture and sermon for June 18, 2023, which is also Father's Day.
Opening prayer asking for God's guidance and acceptance of the congregation's words and worship.
First scripture reading from Genesis 6:5-8, describing God's regret for creating humankind due to their wickedness, but how Noah found favor with God.
Second scripture reading from Genesis 7:1-10, detailing God's command to Noah to build the ark and take animals with him before the great flood.
Third scripture reading from Genesis 8:13-22, where Noah and the animals leave the ark after the floodwaters recede, and Noah offers a sacrifice to God.
Plunkett introduces the theme of 'Covenant Agreements with God' for the summer sermon series, focusing on God's covenant with Noah.
Personal story about Mark Plunkett's father and a covenant he made with him as a teenager, where Plunkett was allowed to keep a controversial album under specific conditions.
Explanation of what a covenant means in a biblical context, and how God's covenants are different from human agreements.
Key lesson from Noah's story: Noah built the ark out of faith and obedience to God, even though he didn't know the purpose until later.
Reflection on how Noah's faithfulness and obedience changed God's plan from destruction to salvation, exemplified by the 'but' in Genesis 6:8.
God's covenant with Noah is unilateral, unconditional, universal, everlasting, and unbreakable, symbolized by the rainbow.
Discussion on how human beings should aim to make covenants that reflect fairness, love, and humility, following God's model.
A reminder that love should be at the core of all covenants and agreements, which is often overlooked.
Personal reflection on how Plunkett's father showed love even in discipline, drawing parallels to God's covenant with Noah.
Concluding thoughts on how the love in God's covenant with Noah serves as an example for how people should treat one another in relationships and agreements.
Plunkett wishes a Happy Father's Day to all fathers and encourages the congregation to act with love in all their covenants.
Transcripts
grace mercy and peace from our Lord
Jesus Christ to each of you this is Mark
Plunkett the pastor of Heritage
Presbyterian church and this is our
scripture and sermon video for Sunday
June the 18th June 18th 2023. it's also
Father's Day so let's begin with the
word of Prayer
God our Father guide us today and accept
our words our prayers and our worship of
you in your name we pray amen
we have three readings today all from
the book of Genesis and all having to do
with Noah the first one is Genesis 6
verses 5 through 8.
the Lord saw that the wickedness of
humankind was great in the earth and
that every inclination of the thoughts
of their hearts was only evil
continually and the Lord was sorry that
he had made humankind on the earth and
it grieved him in his heart so the Lord
said I will blot out from the Earth all
human beings that I have created
people together people together with
animals creeping things in birds of the
air for I am sorry that I made them
but Noah found favor in the sight of the
Lord
turns on that word but doesn't it now we
continue with Genesis 7 verses 1-10 this
is the account of the great flood then
lord said to Noah go into the ark you
and all your household for I have seen
that you alone are righteous before me
in this generation take with you seven
pairs of all clean animals the male and
its mate and a pair of animals that are
not clean the male and it's mate and
seven pairs of the birds of the air male
and female also to keep their kind alive
on all the face of the Earth for in
seven days I will send rain on the earth
for 40 days and 40 nights and every
living thing that I have ever made I
will blot out from the face of the
ground
and Noah did all that the Lord commanded
him Noah was 600 years old when the
flood when the flood of waters came on
the earth and Noah and his son and Sons
and his wife and his son's wives went
into the ark to escape the Waters of the
flood
of clean animals and of animals that are
not clean and of birds and of everything
that creeps on the ground two and two
male and female went into the ark with
Noah as God had commanded Noah and after
seven days the Waters of the flood came
on the Earth
and finally we get Genesis 8 beginning
with verse 13.
in the 600 first year in the first month
the first day of the month the waters
were dried up on the earth and Noah
removed the covering of the Ark and
looked and saw that the face of the
ground was drying in the second month on
the 27th day of the month their Earth
was dry then God said to Noah go out of
the Ark you and your wife and your sons
and your son's wives with you bring out
with you every living thing that is with
you of All Flesh birds and animals and
every creeping thing that creeps along
the Earth so that they may abound on the
earth and be fruitful and multiply on
the earth and every animal every
creeping thing every bird everything
that moves on the earth when out of the
Ark by families the Noah built an altar
to the Lord and took of every clean
animal and of every clean bird and
offered burnt offerings on the Altar and
when the Lord smelled the pleasing odor
the Lord said in his heart
I will never again curse the ground
because of humankind
for the inclination of the human heart
is evil from youth nor will I ever again
destroy every living thing as I have
done
as long as the Earth endures seedtime
and harvest cold and heat summer and
winter day and night
shall not cease
the word of the Lord my friends
thanks be to God
now during this summer time
that I called the Covenant agreements
with God in this series we explore the
various covenants that God made with his
people that are described in the Bible
today's Covenant is God's covenant with
Noah
since today is Father's Day I thought I
would begin with a little story about my
own father and a covenant that he gave
to me when I was 17. that was the year
that I got my first job I was a janitor
in a store in Chattanooga it wasn't a
great job but for the first time I had
regular money in my pocket the first
purchase that I made with that money was
of a George Carlin comedy album that had
absolutely filthy things on and in fact
there was a section called filthy words
you can't say on television I took it
home and I invited my best friend next
door Greg to come and listen to it with
me we rolled on the floor with
uncontrollable laughter for about an
hour
and about that time my mother came in
the room and began reading me the riot
act the words she heard from that record
were offensive I had no business
spending my money on it and I needed to
turn it off immediately my friend Greg
beat a hasty Retreat out of there while
I battled my mother unsuccessfully
finally she said I would have to face my
father when he got home in a few minutes
she left the room close the door and I
sat on my bed waiting for my fate
dad came home a few minutes later and to
his credit he did not come in my room
yelling he came in with a grim look on
his face but he didn't yell I
immediately launched into stirring
defense of my actions that didn't work
with Mom and they didn't work with Dad
either when he shut me down and he
started to say something else and I
dared to interrupt him and said dad you
can't condemn me without even listening
to it that wouldn't be fair
well
nobody accuses my dad of being unfair
so he closed the bedroom door
told me to put the album on and as we
listened to it he folded his arms across
his chest like this
kind of letting me know in his own way
Mr Carlin better work his magic and he
better do it in a hurry
when side one of the album was done dad
gestured for me to to turn it over and
play side two he gestured instead of
telling me to do it because he'd been
laughing so hard he could barely talk
and he was tears for rolling down his
face
finally the other side ended dad took
out his handkerchief and wiped his eyes
and cleared his throat and finally
managed to get himself under control
then he laid out the Covenant
I could keep the album
but I was only to play it when I was all
by myself in the house
to this day
I thought that was a great deal
now let's recall a covenant is a deal
that's made by two sides people engaged
in this all the time but when God does
it it's a little bit different the idea
of becoming it takes on a whole new
meaning
in all covenants described in the Bible
every one of them is described by God
and then accepted by humans the second
Covenant in the Bible that I'm going to
discuss is the one between God and Noah
last week it was between God and Adam
now it's important to note the following
number one God calls us to be his
faithful Covenant Partners but that has
not always happened consistently on our
side number two in the Covenant with
Noah God concludes that the world
betrayed his intent for creation
and he was right number three whatever
God does he holds an expectation for his
world
number four despite a lot of evidence to
the contrary God is not an angry Tyrant
lashing out against his creation but
rather a troubled parent who Grieves
over the alienation that exists between
God
and humans and finally God is unlike his
children God is not a captive of old
resolves God can adapt and change when
God feels like it often we human beings
become so entrenched in what we believe
from the past that we cannot accept new
situations or New Deals even if we know
they're better
but let's focus our attention
specifically on Noah Noah doesn't fit
the scheme of indictment and sentencing
he is not condemned he is not executed
he is not judged as having a lack of
Love or obedience to God instead Noah
presented god with an alternate
possibility to the plan of eliminating
all life on the face of the Earth the
best evidence the best evidence of
Noah's faith and obedience exists in
this statement read scripture carefully
if you don't believe me but Noah built
the ark in faith not knowing
not realizing its ultimate purpose until
God finally told him
God told him to build the ark he didn't
tell him why
at least not until it was done
Noah worked for years simply obeying
God's command that is faith
that is obedience
that frankly is amazing the entire flood
narrative turns on the first word in
Genesis 6 verse 8 but
that Hebrew conjunction reveals how the
story changes from the destruction of
all life on Earth
to one of Salvation and Second Chances
because of the existence of Noah his
righteousness and his obedience a New
Covenant is possible here so God began
to act now as we all know the ark is
built pairs of animals of all kinds into
the ark the doors closed God made the
Reigns come and floods burst forth from
the earth the earth floated with all the
animals in Noah's family safe inside
after the water subsided the ark came to
rest on Mount Ararat and all the animals
left the Ark on dry land Noah's First
Act was to build an altar and worship
God
now comes the Covenant
now comes the covenant not prior to the
flood not during the storm not when no
land could be seen for weeks and days
and months during all that time Noah
remained faithful and continued waiting
on God to act Noah was not expecting a
covenant from God once everything was
safe once the animals and Noah's family
were safe then it was time for God's
covenant
boy timing's everything isn't it
perhaps it happened then
because Noah had proved himself by
remaining faithful during the flood but
I doubt it Noah had already proven his
faithfulness repeatedly
during the story
God put a rainbow in the sky as a sign
of his newest Covenant the newest
Covenant was never again would God
destroy the Earth now this Covenant is
consistent with all the others that were
made throughout the Bible number one the
Covenant is unilateral God is proposing
and keeping this Covenant without any
input or consultation or hey what do you
think human beings hey Noah what do you
think of this none of that God is acting
unilaterally number two the Covenant is
unconditional humans don't have to do
anything just stand there and accept it
number three the Covenant will never be
broken
Number Four The Covenant is universal it
doesn't just affect Noah and his family
it affects all human beings for all time
and number five
the Covenant is Everlasting there is no
expiration date
I would call that a good deal a holy
deal a perfect deal I would also call it
a model for how we should make deals
with one another
do we set the same standard when we deal
with one another do we propose
conditions that are obviously fair to
the other side do we impose our
covenants upon one another thinking that
we are following God's model to the
letter
we're going to do it the way God does it
or do we recognize humbly that we are
not God and therefore we are capable of
making a bad Covenant even when we don't
intend to do so
and finally
what part did I leave out
what part did I leave now
I didn't find it in any of the research
I did I didn't find it in the Bible I
didn't find it in all the commentaries I
read I didn't find it anywhere but it's
there what about
What About Love
when we make covenants do we act in love
God love Noah
I didn't include that did I
my own dad loved me when he made that
Covenant with me way back in my teenage
years even though I wasn't exactly
righteous
or obedient
you know when we get married that's a
covenant that's supposed to be just just
drenched in love
but what about all the other agreements
all the other deals all the other
covenants that we make with one another
do we make them with love in our hearts
do we
if not then we have completely missed
the lesson from God's covenant with Noah
why did God do all these things
because Noah was righteous yes because
Noah was obedient but also because God
loved Noah and Noah loved God
love is supposed to be at the heart of
every single covenant made by everyone
doing that is to give our best attempt
to follow God's example
whether it's with our fathers or anyone
else in our lives
Happy Father's Day to all you dads out
there
amen
wherever you are today
if you are curious about our church if
you'd like to know a little bit more
about any of the messages that I have or
we just want to get together and talk
maybe have a cup of coffee
go to our website
heritagepresbyterian.org and look for
the contact us button reach out to us
give me a call shoot me an email be glad
to get together and talk to you if
you're looking for a church home I
strongly recommend ours
in the meantime go in peace and love and
serve the Lord
amen
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